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Close up on a platter of Szechuan beef over rice with a spoon on the side.
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5 from 8 votes

Szechuan Beef

Our easy 30 minute Szechuan beef is a tasty dish that it's a little sweet, and salty, but loaded with flavor. Served over a bed of rice and topped with sesame seeds, this is a great recipe for the family!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Inactive time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4
Calories: 463kcal
Author: Teri & Jenny

Ingredients

  • 1½ pounds New Zealand grass-fed flank steak sliced 1/8” thick against the grain
  • 1 egg beaten
  • ½ tsp salt

sauce

  • ½ cup water
  • 2½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2½ tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
  • 1½ tbsp spicy fermented bean paste
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil divided
  • ¼ small yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper seeded and thinly sliced
  • 5 dried Chinese chile peppers
  • 2 tsp minced ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1½ tsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Place sliced steak, egg and salt into a mixing bowl and toss together until beef is fully coated. Allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
    Szechuan beef marinating in a bowl.
  • Pour all sauce ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
    Szechuan beef sauce whisked together in a bowl.
  • Drain excess egg from bowl of beef, sprinkle cornstarch over beef and toss together until evenly coated.
    Szechuan beef with cornstarch in a glass bowl.
  • Place large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. Add beef in a single layer and sear for 3 minutes. Flip and sear for an additional 2 minutes. Then transfer beef to a plate.
    Cooking beef in a skillet.
  • Pour remaining oil into skillet, increase heat to high heat and sauté onion, bell pepper and chile peppers, about 2 to 3 minutes.
    Cooking peppers and chiles in a skillet.
  • Add ginger and garlic and stir together until evenly distributed.
    Peppers with ginger and garlic cooking in a skillet.
  • Lower heat to medium-high and stir in sauce. Allow sauce to thicken, about 1 minute.
    Szechuan beef in a skillet cooking with sauce.
  • Add beef back to skillet and toss together until evenly coated.
    Szechuan beef in a skillet.
  • Remove skillet from heat, top with toasted sesame seeds and serve.
    Szechuan beef over rice on a platter.

Notes

Variations 

  • Adjust the spiciness by adding more chile peppers or less. We don't recommend adding more of the spicy fermented bean paste since it's salty and adding more will make your dish too salty. You can reduce the amount of the paste, but we recommend supplementing with a couple pinches of extra kosher salt.
  • We keep our dish fairly simple with the beef, sliced bell pepper and onion, but you can add more vegetables to the dish to bulk it up. Some of our favorite additions are, broccoli florets, sliced mushrooms, spinach, and thinly sliced (julienne) carrots.

Make Ahead and Reheating

Make Ahead

Although we love this dish best when it's freshly made, it can be fully made up to 2 days ahead of time. Cool the finished dish before transferring to an airtight container and refrigerating.

Reheating

When ready to use, place a large skillet over medium heat. Pour mixture into skillet along with 1 to 2 tablespoons water. Simmer mixture, occasionally stirring, until heated through.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1174mg | Potassium: 704mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1156IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 3mg